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Additional Photos
underside
solid spots
young, 5 mm
egg mass
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GALLERY
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Notarchus indicus Schweigger, 1820
Maximum size: 25 mm.
Identification:
This sea hare has fine papillae, some with white tips. The body is
translucent cream to red-brown with darker spots. The parapodia are
fused except for an anterior aperture.
Natural history:
Notarchus indicus
is a moderately rare species found in rocky habitats and Halimeda kanaloana beds at depths
of < 1 to 110 m (< 3 to 328 ft). When disturbed, it swims
backward
via "jet propulsion" by forcefully expelling water from its mantle
cavity through the anterior aperture. A 25 mm animal laid a tangled,
orange-brown egg string that hatched in about eight days in the
laboratory.
Distribution:
Big Island, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Midway and Kure: widely distributed in
the
Indo-Pacific.
Taxonomic notes:
It was first recorded in Hawaii from off Hale'iwa, Oahu by Terry
Gosliner &
Gary Williams in Oct. 1973 (dredged).
Photo: CP:
about 25 mm: found by PF; Airport Beach, Maui; March 22, 2003.
Observations and comments:
Note
1: ( )
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